"YOU OUGHTA KNOW" - CASI CASI a Gem from Puerto Rican Cinema

"You Oughta Know" is a series that highlights favorite artists, groups, movies, and many other things... You Oughta Know!

Posted on Saturday, 18/01/2014

By:Ellen Flores

In this week's edition, I'll present you with one of my favorite Puerto Rican movies Casi Casi. This film is a teenage story that we can all relate to, I mean, who hasn’t had a crush on the most popular kid at school? We all have. But what makes this movie different from the rest is the honesty and heartfelt and funny performances these kids give.

Emilio, the lead character is a normal teenager, good student and well-mannered teen with a very peculiar and close knit group of friends. Mónica is the straight A student, Alfredo is a super nerd and awkward kid, Natalia is the smart mouthed and witty best friend, María Eugenia the warm-hearted and go-to girl and Angel, the cute and random friend that somehow is always there despite not attending the same school. They are all good kids, but somehow they find themselves being sent to the principal’s office every week for silly reasons. All except María Eugenia, she is the gold star of the bunch and has the hookup at the principal’s office because she works as an assistant for extra credit.

Emilio comes up with a master plan to win over the girl of his dreams, Jacklynne. He decides to run for Student Council President, he figures that would get the attention of the most popular girl in school, so he enlists the help of his friends and they all pitch in to campaign for Emilio the next day at school.

After announcing his candidacy, Emilio discovers, to his horror that Jacklynne herself will be running for office against him. Emotions fly high as campaign fever intensifies. Not wanting to lose his chance to win her heart, Emilio devises a risky plan that could come to a disastrous end if the principal figures it all out. Follow me so far? Cool, now let’s get to why you oughtta know this film!

Set and filmed in Puerto Rico, Casi Casi showcases the daily student life of an average teen in the island perfectly. From the ugly ass uniforms to the classrooms with only two ceiling fans and hurricane grade aluminum windows, this film a perfect depiction of my years in high school. The cast is solid with true chemistry. These kids seem like they really are teenagers in Junior year and go to school together. This level of authenticity helps the film stand out from other similar style features.

Video of Casi Casi

The dialogue that these kids have is spot on, especially with the character of Angel. His random musings are nuggets of wisdom and sayings that you would hear back home. My favorite lines from Angel center on his theory of winning every time at domino. “El que tiene el doble seis, siempre gana.” (the person that has the double six, always wins) a theory, that if you are a domino player you will know that is 99.9% true.

A story about love, teenage antics to win over the girl and how true friends are always there for you is what Casi Casi is all about. Do they pull off the master plan? Do they get caught? Will Emilio win the girl? Those are questions that can only be answered by watching this film. If you have a chance to see this film, check it out I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.